


I See You

by yeolhoe



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Death, Depression, Destiny, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fate & Destiny, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Open to Interpretation, Paranormal, Romance, Spirits, Tragedy, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-24 02:10:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14945636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeolhoe/pseuds/yeolhoe
Summary: After he lost his parents in a tragedy, Kyungsoo met a wandering soul in the dark, who always stayed with him during his most vulnerable moments.They became friends. Fell in love.But then Jongin had to leave.





	I See You

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t write angst fics often and I know this is not my best work but I'm always open for constructive criticisms. If you have any advice to give me, please PLEASE don't hesitate to leave a comment. Thank you in advance! <3

 

Kyungsoo watches as Sehun’s head falls slowly on Junmyeon’s shoulder, causing the man to flick his forehead. Junmyeon tries to wake him up but he only groans and snuggles closer. Soon, Junmyeon decides to stand, help Sehun get to the room that they share and calls it a night. “You’re not going in?” he asks. Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Alright, man. Have a good night.” He hears the door click shut before silence envelopes the entire room.

Now it’s just Kyungsoo and the beer bottles sitting on the table in front of him under the dimmed lights. He sighs and leans forward, his elbows perched up on his knees. He’s not the type to drink more than two bottles of beer on a Sunday night but it was a lonely night. It was a lonely, lonely, _lonely_ night. It’s the kind of lonely that will not make you cry. Instead, it will make you sit by yourself in an empty, quiet room while you savor the feeling of the last few pieces of your heart die down until you have nothing left. Until there is nothing in your chest but an empty space. This is the most painful part for Kyungsoo. How can an empty space overflow with loneliness? It is like an extinct volcano detonating when it’s not supposed to.

Kyungsoo winces as the familiar feeling of longing blanket him. It has been so long. The feeling seems to have built its home in him now and Kyungsoo has forgotten how it feels to not look for something that’s gone. He needs the alcohol. He needs it. He lifts his hand and wraps his fingers around the ice cold bottle of beer, unbothered by the sudden cold that meets his skin. It has always been cold in his heart anyways.

Five beer bottles later, he finds himself drained but heavy at the same time, his head leaning at the back of the sofa, eyes turned towards the ceiling. He is so drunk. So drunk that his vision is becoming blurry and the house is spinning. He blinks his eyes a few times in hopes of waking up from his alcohol-induced state but it is no help. Without much of an effort, he gives up. There’s no point. He’s drunk. God, he hates himself.

He sucks in a long, deep breath of air and heaves out a sigh. He is about to close his heavy eyes and drift into a long, worriless slumber when the bokeh effect caused by his blurred out vision focused on the dimmed light bulb catches his attention. Kyungsoo’s breathing stops for a brief moment before the heart that he thought was gone starts drumming against his chest and before he realizes it, a tear slips down his cheek.

This reminds him of something.

It has been a year.

He met him first one night, during one of the most painful moments of his life. Kyungsoo was lying limply on the stretcher inside the ambulance, the sound of wailing sirens the only thing he could hear while everyone’s adrenalines were high up the sky as they moved in suppressed panic, giving all they had so the huge fire that was chewing up his house for hours would stop. The volunteers had given him a shot of haloperidol after he lashed out on every soul that dared to stop him from coming near his parents’ lifeless bodies. It was a nightmare. And as much as he wanted to be there with his parents in the middle of this tragedy, Kyungsoo was thankful for the drug that had calmed his aggressive nerves and sent him the unfamiliar comfort brought by nausea. Everything was starting to get blurry. The noise was fading away. His body started losing strength. And the last thing Kyungsoo remembered was a pair of round, brown orbs staring down at him with what looked like concern before everything turned black and he lost his consciousness.

That was the first.

Their encounter didn’t stop there. Kyungsoo continued meeting those floating brown objects every night for two months straight. He would always dream of those objects. The beginning of those dreams was always different but it always ended up with him chasing the orbs down the dangerous streets and almost getting hit by a huge eight-wheeler truck. Almost, because Kyungsoo would constantly wake up—hands trembling, heart beating faster than usual, breathing serrated and beads of sweat rolling down from his temples—before the bumper touched the orbs. It was the same thing every single night and admittedly, Kyungsoo was getting tired of waking up from the same nightmares every time and wondering what the hell was happening. His dreams were always so vivid, so lucid that he wondered if those were real sometimes.  Kyungsoo tried to tell it to his cousin, Junmyeon, over the phone but he would often tell him it was probably his parents trying to communicate with him but he would shake off the suggestion every time. Ghosts were...not real. What the hell was Junmyeon even saying?

One night, in his dream, he decided to just man up and confront the situation at hand. They were at it again. He was running after the orbs without any idea why and as soon as he spotted the vehicles, he started gathering up his courage.

_Here we go._

Kyungsoo watched the all too familiar show happening before him attentively. _Three._ He took a step forward. A red car passed by with a violent honk after the orbs flew forward without stopping. _Two._ Kyungsoo took two steps forward, stopping with a foot placed backwards as preparation for his next move. He spotted the truck two meters away from those brown spheres he’d been wanting to catch. _One._ “No!” he shouted, leaping forward and feeling the weight of the truck push him forward with a loud thud before his eyes flew open and he got up, a hand pressed on his tight chest, breathing heavily and bathed in cold sweat. His head was spinning. His ability to think was temporarily disabled but he knew one thing—he did it. He touched the orbs. He _saved_ it.

A few minutes later, when everything had sunk in and his nerves had calmed down, he realized how colder the room had gone. _Strange,_ he thought. He was sure his heater was working just fine. Kyungsoo got up sleepily and made his way towards the light switch, dragging his thick white comforter along with him. Above anything, Kyungsoo can’t stand getting cold. He placed his palm on the wall, letting it travel forward to find the switch and it didn’t take long until he felt the familiar bump on the wall. He used his index finger to flick the switch and the fluorescent on his ceiling responded instantly, lighting up the room in a snap. Kyungsoo turned on his heel, his plan to make his way towards his heater postponed when he caught sight of a tall man standing by the his bookshelf at the corner of the room, eyes turned towards him. He let out a hushed “Fuck!” He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t even move. His hands started trembling at the same time his heart started moving in his chest in nervous thumps, the cold he was feeling gone now.

The man was about six-foot tall, wearing a red shirt that let his striped blue button-up show above its V-shaped neckline. Over it, a red plaid suit dressed him. He had tanned skin and a muscular body. His black hair covered his forehead and his eyes that were staring intently at Kyungsoo were soft and gentle, as if he didn’t scare the life out of the smaller man by appearing in front of him out of the blue.

“W-Who are you?” Kyungsoo managed to say, his voice coming out shakier than he’d intended it to be.

The man’s eyes smiled before his mouth did. “You...You saved me.” His voice was as gentle as his sparkling eyes portrayed him to be.

Kyungsoo shook his head, eyebrows knitted and mouth slightly parted. “What are you talking about?” he asked, completely baffled, the only thing he wanted at that moment was for the mystery man to leave him alone. “Get out of here!” Kyungsoo managed to sound brave while he slowly moved his feet to take him to the nearest object he could use to defend himself in case the bad thing happened.

The man raised his hands in front of him, his face falling as he took in Kyungsoo’s reaction. “I-I’m not going to hurt you. Please don’t be scar—” He was cut short when an umbrella was tossed at him. It passed through his body, making Kyungsoo back out even more in fear, and he was gone just as quickly as he came.

Kyungsoo couldn’t sleep at all that night. Did he just see a _ghost_?

The dreams had stopped after that incident and he didn’t see the man ever since. No one knew about what he saw. Well, it wasn’t like he had someone to tell it to. He was supposed to be relieved that the ghost stopped bothering him, right?

Right.

So then, why did he stay up all night every night thinking about him? He himself had no idea why. He would stare at the ceiling for hours every night without end, as if he was waiting for someone. As if someone was coming.

No one came.

Not even his parents two weeks after, when it was Kyungsoo’s birthday. Kyungsoo always celebrated his special day with his parents and the fact that he couldn’t do it with them this time around and ever dawned on him at 2am while he sat on the cold floor by the edge of his bed by himself, his hands catching his head while he poured his heart out in the form of tears. It was so cold, so cold without having someone to hold him during this time.

_“I’m here...”_

Kyungsoo’s tears ceased from falling when he heard a familiar low voice pierce his ears and break the silence. He couldn’t see him in the dark but he knew who it was. He jumped a little when he felt the man’s icy touch on his back, patting it gently and whispering, “Shh...I’m here now.” His voice was quiet and gentle, just like how Kyungsoo remembered it to be.

As strange as it sounds, he felt comforted. For the first time in months, someone sat with him while he cried, patted his back and made him feel like he wasn’t alone. The man’s cold touch and presence somehow made him feel warm on the inside. It was...nice.

He came again on the next night. Kyungsoo was still a little frightened by his appearance at first but it didn’t take long until he was comfortable, as if they’d been sitting together for a long time. “Who are you?” were the first words Kyungsoo uttered to the mystery man. He was sitting on his bed, arms wrapped around his knees that were folded across his chest while the man sat against the bookshelf, where Kyungsoo first saw him, in the same position as the smaller man.

“My name is Jongin,” he answered simply. Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, urging him to talk more but Jongin shook his head. “I wish I had more to share but I...I don’t know anything else aside from my name,” the man said, his face turning gloomy, reflecting nothing but confusion and sadness upon wishing he knew himself.

At that moment, Kyungsoo wanted to walk up to him, sit by his side and pat his back but he didn’t do it until the following night, when Jongin showed up in the exact same place, sitting in the exact same position. Only this time, his face was wet with tears. He was sobbing quietly while Kyungsoo watched in surprise at his friend’s sudden emotional appearance. From where Jongin was located, Kyungsoo could feel the man’s emotions crawling into Kyungsoo’s heart, leading him to finally approach his friend for the first time ever and attempted to put a hand on his back, only for it to pass through Jongin’s body. He tried to do it again but the same thing happened.

“I-I can’t touch you, Jongin,” he stated the obvious but the other man didn’t seem to hear him. “What’s wrong, Jongin?” he tried to make the man talk.

Jongin wouldn’t stop sobbing. His tears wouldn’t stop falling and Kyungsoo thought that maybe what Jongin needed wasn’t someone to give him advice. Maybe he just needed Kyungsoo to stay with him, just like how Kyungsoo needed someone to be there for him when he broke down. “It’s okay,” Kyungsoo whispered. “I’m here.” He sat with Jongin for he couldn’t remember how long, his hand floating in the air as he traced Jongin’s back with his palm back and forth, pretending he was rubbing his back.

Jongin didn’t come crying to him again ever since that night but Kyungsoo did. Now that his dreams about chasing the orbs were over, it was time for the nightmare of that night’s tragedy to enter the picture.  He would dream of it night after night after night and would wake up with tears running from his eyes, body shaking so hard, cold sweat soaking his clothes. And every time it would happen, Jongin would come running from the corner of the room to his side to rub his back in a circular motion and help him calm down, whispering, “Breathe. I’m here.”

It was funny how Kyungsoo’s heart wouldn’t stop pounding and his flesh wouldn’t stop vibrating until Jongin’s frozen touch came in contact with his skin. It was effective at calming him down even during his worst nervous breakdowns, his most aggressive panic attacks and his darkest depressive episodes. He didn’t only appease Kyungsoo but more importantly, he was there.

Kyungsoo won’t probably ever forget the first time he set foot outside his front door for the first time in months. “Do you want to go out?” Jongin had asked him earlier that night. He shook his head with an awkward smile. “I’ve never been outside ever since...you know. My relatives send me food and clothes and everything that I need,” he had explained, to which the other man responded with a frown.

“You can’t stay here forever,” Jongin told him, his round eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation as he spat his next words. “Do you want to go out with me?”

Kyungsoo did everything in his power to get Jongin to stop convincing him but the man was persistent. “I’ll protect you,” were the words that got Kyungsoo snatching his jacket from his closet despite his fear of what awaited him outside. He knew he was stupid for even buying his words but how could he deny the man’s call when he was pouting his lips at Kyungsoo and acting as if he was even tinier than his five-foot-eight frame? It wasn’t possible.

He found himself walking along the dark streets in the middle of the night with Jongin by his side fifteen minutes later. It was one in the morning so naturally, there wasn’t a single person outside anymore. They were taking their time, walking with very little steps, their bodies closer than how Kyungsoo wanted them to be. “The streets are wide. Move,” Kyungsoo had said. Jongin had shaken his head at him, moving even closer this time. “It’s cold,” he said, as if he could actually feel it. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at him. He would’ve hit him if he could touch him.

“Where are you taking me?” Kyungsoo asked after a few more minutes of walking. It was getting colder and colder and his jacket couldn’t give him so much warmth now. He hates the cold.

“I wish I could give you my jacket,” was what Jongin answered and Kyungsoo’s eyebrow rose at that, confused. “You’re cold. I know you hate the cold.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes fell to the ground as he felt his face heating up, making him all warm on the inside. He had to ball his fists when the tiny creatures in his stomach that he thought had died started going into riot mode. It was ticklish. He liked it.

A few steps later, they reached their destination. It was a playground.

“A playground?” Kyungsoo asked as he sat on a swing that Jongin was holding steady for him. When he looked up at Jongin, his lips were formed into the same adorable pout that brought him here. “What?”

“You don’t like it?” he whined. Kyungsoo fought his urge to melt. Who would’ve thought that this man, in all his six-foot glory, could be as _small_ as this?

Kyungsoo gave out a small smile. “Sit down,” he said as he pointed at the swing next to him.

Jongin did as he was told. “You didn’t like it, did you?” he questioned, still pouting, his hands gripping the rope swing tightly.

“I liked it. I just didn’t think you’d bring me here,” the other answered with honesty.

Jongin’s face finally broke into a smile after hearing Kyungsoo’s words. It was the cue for him to start telling the smaller man how much he loved going to this place and Kyungsoo listened, as usual. He said he liked playing with kids and seeing them laugh.

Kyungsoo slightly kicked the ground below him and he started going back and forth subtly, the very little amount of motion enough to satisfy him. He missed going outside. He could feel the wind blowing against his skin as he moved in the air just a little bit, just enough to shake him from his dream. Just enough to remind that he was alive and the world was still spinning and that maybe he was wrong to think that the universe stopped moving at the same time his parents stopped breathing. He could feel a lump growing in his throat. It was hot against his insides and the heat crept up from his chest to his eyes, making them water.

He turned his gaze to Jongin who was looking straight ahead, unaware of the surge of emotions that attacked Kyungsoo right then and there. He was still talking happily, a beautiful smile plastered on his face as he talked about the things that was making him happy. Kyungsoo wanted to listen to him—God, how he _loved_ listening to him—but at that moment, all he could hear was his own heart beating and his breathing coming out in short and rapid takes as he watched what made _him_ happy.

It was Jongin.

He couldn’t hold it in any longer. A tear slipped down his cheek as he tore the wall that was blocking the ball of emotions bundled up in his throat. “Why do you exist?”

Jongin’s words immediately stopped from coming as Kyungsoo’s words penetrated his ears. The man’s attention was passed to him at the drop of a hat. Jongin’s face fell, a glint of sadness mixed with confusion and vulnerability were displayed in his sparkling, brown eyes. Kyungsoo hated seeing Jongin like this and he would’ve run to him to erase his gloomy expression had he not heard his response. “I don’t know, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo stood up in frustration, eyes burning with tears and unexplainable anger as he yelled, “What do you mean you don’t know?!” All the questions he had avoided since day one, he wanted to be answered right now. He had waited long enough. He wanted to know the reason he existed. If he even existed. Was Jongin only fabricated by his mind to distract him from his lonely, forsaken life? Why was he the only person who could see him? He wanted to blurt out the questions circling around in his stomach but all he could do was sob, shoulders shaking while he tried to breathe against the tide of emotions blocking his chest.

He wanted to be happy with him for the rest of his life and it was driving him crazy that he knew very little about the man he loved.

Kyungsoo couldn’t see straight anymore and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the tears in his eyes or the intensity of his emotions that was giving him the illusion that Jongin had stood up from the swing to face him, only a few inches separating them, holding Kyungsoo’s face in his large, strong, icy hands. His eyes were glued on Kyungsoo’s and his stare was intense, almost scary and ready to burn a hole onto him. Kyungsoo’s breathing hitched when he felt the severity of emotions the other was radiating through his eyes. Everything disappeared, and then they were kissing. He only realized it was really happening when he felt his body stiffen at the sudden contact and the stream of feelings rising from his chest to the tiniest vein in his body. Jongin’s kisses were deep and rough and it reminded him of the first time he drank beer, how the alcohol burned every last bit of the flesh in his throat. It was fiery, but addicting.

He responded to his kisses just as roughly and aggressively as the other. His head was floating, as if he was on the water, weightless and buoyant, and he couldn’t think straight. Kyungsoo felt warm, despite the fact that Jongin was cold. He wanted to slide his tongue into Jongin’s mouth but the man beat him to it, making his knees tremble. Little moans escaped Kyungsoo’s mouth and he got so lost in the moment that he didn’t notice that he was already gripping Jongin’s waist forcefully under the man’s coat, burying his nails on his skin as if marking his territory.

His eyes snapped open and he broke the kiss, turning immediately to where his hands were. He was holding Jongin. He was _holding_ him. He only realized he had been gawking for too long when he felt Jongin’s hands bringing his face up to find his eyes. Kyungsoo sighed internally at the sight of Jongin’s tantalizing brown eyes three inches from him. Jongin’s eyes looked as soft as the first time he saw him, like he was enthralled. Like he was saved.

Kyungsoo wanted to open his mouth and express how amazed he was that he could finally touch Jongin but all he could do was stand there and stare back at him, face flushed, his heart drumming in his chest while the tiny creatures did somersaults in his stomach. Jongin looked beautiful. So beautiful, like that big ball of fire his mother warned him to avoid but he would dare draw close to no matter how dangerous it looked. “Why do you exist?” he whispered quietly, his voice breaking as tears threatened to well up from his eyes again.

Jongin’s eyes remained fixated on Kyungsoo’s. He blinked once. And then he spoke. “Maybe I exist...because you exist.”

The night was chilly, but Jongin’s words somehow did magic on Kyungsoo as he couldn’t feel the wintry touch of the midnight air anymore. He was all warm and cozy on the inside, as if the sun lived somewhere within his body and he couldn’t be bothered by the temperature anymore. He felt bad that he wasn’t saying anything but he didn’t have to. His eyes were so full of the words his heart couldn’t say out loud and he was communicating with Jongin with just that, raw and pure emotions coming from the depths of his being.

Jongin started inching closer towards Kyungsoo again and the tiny one held his breath. Now that they were so much closer, Kyungsoo noticed how Jongin’s round, brown eyes were gleaming brightly, as if they were the moon that illuminated the darkness. They sparkled like bulbs in a gloomy room. They were all he could see. Kyungsoo thought it was familiar but he shook the thought away as he felt every inch of hair in his body stand in exhilaration as Jongin dipped down for another kiss.

Their lips crashed into each other one more time and as soon as they felt their flesh form into one, everything disappeared. The world was muted. And there was only darkness. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move. He wanted to assess what was happening but there was no time. Whatever was happening, it was happening too fast. Kyungsoo felt himself spiral into a whirlpool of nothingness, his head swimming and his stomach tightening, and the last thing he heard was Jongin calling for his name, panic and worry evident in his voice, while Kyungsoo watched as he reduced into a pair of bright, brown orbs and then he vanished.

Kyungsoo’s eyes flew open as he shot up from his bed, his whole body that was drenched in sweat shaking. He had to fix his breathing pattern for a moment before he was able to observe his surroundings. He was in his room. It was seven in the morning. He put his hands on his face, testing to see if he was certainly present.

He was. But Jongin wasn’t.

His head throbbed and he had to apply pressure on the area to ease it. _Was last night just a dream?_ he thought. He looked down to find that he was wearing the same clothes as last night. In fact, the jacket that he wore was lying on the floor at the edge of his bed. Kyungsoo ran his fingers over his lips. He could still feel him there.

 _Maybe I should wait. Maybe he’s coming back tonight, like he usually does,_ was what he thought and so he did. He waited for him that night. And on the next night. And on the next.

But there was no Jongin.

A week later and he was staring at the ceiling at three in the morning, still waiting for Jongin to magically arrive at the corner of his room by the bookshelf, smiling brightly at him as usual. A week turned into a month. Kyungsoo wondered if it had all been a lie. If he had just been waiting for nothing. Was there really a Jongin once in his life? Or had his mind been playing with him all this time? A month turned into months. And here he is, sitting by himself in the cold living room, wondering where the Jongin that used to keep him warm during the winter has gone.

He misses him saying “I’m here,” when Kyungsoo bursts into sad tears during his lonely nights. He misses him patting his back when he needs to be comforted. He misses him humming to him at night when he can’t go back to sleep after waking up from a nightmare. He misses him telling him stories about the kids he saw at the playground. He misses him laughing at his own jokes with his deep laugh that vibrates through his skin. He misses Jongin. All of him.

A quiet sob escapes from Kyungsoo’s lips as he feels the coldness building up in his chest. _I exist because you exist_. Bullshit. He made him believe that their existence depends upon each other but now Kyungsoo is left to deal with his existence alone because Jongin departed too early. He shouldn’t have come if he would only leave. Kyungsoo shouldn’t have saved him from the truck that night in his dream if he knew he would disappear like this.

But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Because after all this time, Jongin is still that one mistake that he would gladly commit over and over. He was the broken road that he would take even amidst a million warning signs. He may have left him in vain but the short-lived happiness that that boy made him experience is greater than any of the pains he is suffering. Jongin may have broken his heart but if the chance would come again, he would willingly pick up all of his pieces, glue them together and offer it to him. Because it is Jongin. It will always be Jongin.

The weight of his thoughts dawns on him more now that he’s tired and sleepy. Kyungsoo wipes the tears that are aimlessly traveling down his face and he gets up weakly and starts walking in zigzags to his room. The familiar coldness of his room welcomes him as he swings his door open and wobbles towards his bed. He plops down on his sheets, not bothering to cover himself with his blankets. He can’t help but steal a glance at the painfully empty spot beside his bookshelf, hoping that even just for a split second, he can see Jongin sitting there again.

The answer is the same for all of his attempts, though. Jongin is not there.

Kyungsoo feels the load of his loneliness and drunkenness pull at his eyelids. He should sleep. He rolls over to fill the empty spot next to him—where Jongin used to sit when he hummed Kyungsoo to sleep—with his hand, whispering a hushed and miserable “Happy birthday” to himself before he puts his weary soul to a rest.

His life goes on as usual. He still went to his class the next morning after his birthday despite his state. Kyungsoo has decided to go back to university this year with the help of his cousin, Junmyeon, and Junmyeon’s friend, Sehun. They moved in with him in the same house—which they turned into a boarding house to help Kyungsoo with his bills—to help him to gradually recover from the blow of the tragedy that led him to lose his parents.

There’s one more thing he needs to rise up from but they don’t need to know that. Besides, who said he wants to recover from _him_?

He wakes up at noon, two days after his birthday. He doesn’t have classes on Tuesdays so he is usually left alone in the house, unless Sehun decides to ditch his class for the whole day, which he usually does. Rubbing the sleep off his eyes and grabbing a towel, he gets up and heads to the bathroom for a quick warm shower. Minutes later, he comes out of his room to find the house empty and surprisingly neat.

He wonders for a while why the house looks as good as new before his eyes turn to the calendar sitting on the countertop in the kitchen. January 14th. It’s today. He turns towards the fridge to find a fresh note pinned down by a magnet.

_Kyungsoo,_

_There’s food in the fridge. Eat lots so you’d have a reason to be nice today. :)_

Junmyeon’s penmanship is tidy and precise, which reflects how he is as a person. Kyungsoo leaves the note attached to the fridge door as he opens it to find Junmyeon’s cooking stored in a Tupperware and just then, the doorbell rings, making him lift his head up and make a beeline to the front door. He sighs on his way to the door, wishing Sehun had stayed with him so he could order the younger one to take the door. For all he knows, the reason why he went to class today is to avoid this situation. It’s not like he doesn’t hate this just as much as Sehun does.

The doorbell rings again. And again. And again. It is followed by more.

He cusses quietly. This new housemate can’t even fucking wait? They will _not_ get along, Kyungsoo can already sense it. “Coming,” he calls, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in his tone.

Finally, he gets to the door. Kyungsoo wraps his fingers around the knob, turns it, swings the door open...and his whole world comes into a halt as his eyes land onto the man standing before him.

His new housemate stands about six-foot tall, his skin a beautiful shade of gold. His hair covers his forehead and his eyes...they are as gentle as the big, warm smile plastered on his face. “I’m here.”

A tiny ounce of warmth hits his heart at the sound of the man saying those words. His most favorite words. The words that used to save him from the dark.

He missed it.

The man flashes a small smile. “Can you, uh, show me to my room?” he asks shyly, his hand immediately flying to the back of his neck to scratch it.

It took Kyungsoo a few seconds before he is summoned back to the earth. “U-Uh, sorry?—Oh! Okay...okay.” He smiles sheepishly and starts leading the way. He can’t help but feel jumpy as he feels the man walking closely after him, following him quietly while the man drags his luggage behind him.

It didn’t take them long until they arrive at the new housemate’s room. Their room.

“W-We’re sharing a room,” Kyungsoo starts, watching the man look around the four-corner room, taking in his surroundings.

The new boy walks around mindlessly and observes the space, completely forgetting that Kyungsoo is in the room with him. Kyungsoo observes him, noticing the way his plain white shirt flows down his back loosely. He wants to think the man has gotten a lot thinner than the last time he saw him but he shakes the thought away. What is he thinking? They met for the first time today. Kyungsoo decides to pick up the luggage bag that the new boy dropped carelessly on the floor, not missing the sticker on it that says _0114_. Is it his birthday? That’s today.

When he’s done, he looks up to find the man standing by his bookshelf, completely engrossed in a book he has opened. His breath hitches at the sight. It is all too familiar to him.  He feels the build-up of emotion crawling up his chest, making him dizzy. The room feels too small for the both of them now and it is suddenly hard for him to breathe. “I’m...leaving,” Kyungsoo spoke but the man doesn’t seem to notice.

He turns around and heads straight to the door. He wraps his fingers around the knob, turns it and is about to swing the door open when the man’s low and deep voice fills the whole room.

“Wait—I forgot to introduce myself.”

Kyungsoo pauses.

“I’m Jongin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it. <3
> 
> Be friends with me on [twitter](twitter.com/M0DELYEOL).


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